Freakonomics

Freakonomics (2010) is a US documentary you can watch online on iFILM. Six filmmakers — among them Alex Gibney, Morgan Spurlock, and Seth Gordon — each directed a standalone chapter adapting the bestselling book by economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.

Every segment takes a question that looks simple and follows the data somewhere unexpected. Why do children with "Black-sounding" names face tougher job markets? Do sumo wrestlers cheat? Can a financial incentive actually improve a kid's grades? The film treats statistics the way a detective treats clues — not as proof, but as the start of a much stranger story. Bill Gates appears as one of the interview subjects.

What makes Freakonomics work as a film, not just a lecture, is that each director brings their own visual style to the material. The result is part essay, part experiment, part provocation. Stream Freakonomics (2010) online on iFILM.